ILC ARTICLE

Industry Leader Interview with Lior Koskas, CEO – Digilog UK

16th October 2020

1. What are the challenges are facing your business right now, and how are you working to overcome them?

As a we are a technology provider one of the biggest challenges for us during 2020 was our clients moving to remote working, almost overnight. Many of our clients operate from the office therefore there was a need to quickly migrate the technology to laptops and whilst this was an immediate need for our clients, we are pleased that the Digilog Team were successfully able to deliver a solution and help ensure it was business as normal (well as near to normal as possible).

We work on a tailored solution basis which means us working collaboratively with our clients, usually in person. 2020 has for most of us been the year of Zoom, Teams and so on. Due to our client’s internal operational challenges many projects were delayed but the realisation that new and advancing technologies are going to be ever more important and as things have settled, we are now seeing a lot of activity and new interest in our innovative Artificial Intelligence technology.

2. What has been your biggest business learning from the coronavirus pandemic?

…that many businesses who you could reasonably assume were quite rigid, are actually very agile. They adapted, quickly.

It is fair to assume that many of us will be able to demonstrate a very good test result for our Business Continuity Plans as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic!

Flexibility was and still is key. Finding the balance between the challenges the pandemic presented and keeping disruption to the minimum was essential.

3. As we go to a “new normal” what are you looking forward to returning to and practices will you keep?

Whilst not quite as personal, virtual meetings do make a lot of sense and by no means does business stop just because we have been unable to meet in person. Where we once had client meetings and then phone calls, going forward we will hopefully return to some face to face meetings but also benefit with more virtual online meetings, putting a face to a voice has to be better, even if it is on a screen.

That said it will be good to get back out and meet with existing and new clients. Either way, the ‘new normal’ we found ourselves in taught us that the initial concerns companies had of losing clients or new business was somewhat exaggerated as a quick, straightforward video conference call from your back garden office replaced the need for long flights or travel followed by back to back on site meetings.

4. If you could go back to the beginning of 2020, what piece of advice would you give to yourself?

The pandemic has taught us how important it is to be able to adapt and be prepared. Thinking outside the box will strengthen businesses and prepare us to deal with unforeseen circumstances better. Having a Plan B, and sometimes a Plan C and D, can help improve every business’s odds of surviving and eventually thriving again during tough financial times. Contingency plans, processes and procedures should not be underestimated – they are there for exactly the situation we find ourselves today. It could ‘make or break’ you.

5. What would be your prediction for the industry in 2021?

This is difficult as we just do not know how long this pandemic will affect us. What is evident is that things have changed, more people will work remotely, cities will be less busy and there will be new challenges presented as a result. Insurance is a people business and whilst there is a push to a touchless sales and claims process, this presents new risks and the market needs to adapt, particularly as we are now in recession and at a time where money is tight for most. Yes, we should use technology and create a better customer journey but let it work collaboratively with Sales and Claims, let’s not abandon the human contribution, people still like to talk and if you listen carefully, there is a lot to be heard. What cannot talk cannot lie, so reverse that and what can talk…. can lie. As an industry, we still need to know who customers are.